McDonald's might be about the all-day breakfast, healthier menu options, and burgers with a tasty secret sauce, but something else appears to be on the fast-food giant's mind: child literacy. In efforts to encourage young minds to read, McDonald's is swapping out Happy Meal toys for books.

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"I'm lovin' it."

From February 2 through the 15th, kids who get a Happy Meal will receive one of four miniature paperback books, including: Paddington, Happy Valentine's Day, Mouse!, Clark the Shark Takes Heart, and Pete the Cat: Valentine's Day is Cool.

In addition, McDonald's donated 100,000 of the same books to Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), an organization that promotes child literacy and collects books for children in need across the country.

By the end of this year, McDonald's estimates it will have given over 50 million of their Happy Meal books to children across the country, which is a pretty amazing feat.

Reading is such an important habit to develop in children -- and I think the earlier you get them excited about it, the better.

Sure, they might ask, "Ma, where the heck is my toy?" when you roll up to the drive-thru window, but in the end, do our homes really need another toy that will likely turn into a forgotten landmine you'll step on?

I don't think so.

As much as I would love to say that I cook every day for my family (I throw down in the kitchen three times a week, which is pretty good ... I think), I'll admit there are times when we like to enjoy a meal or two out. If I had the chance, I would opt for the book over the toy -- and I don't think my sons would hate me for it (they're still young).

Plus, it might become some "cool" new thing to receive a book inside a Happy Meal. Heaven knows it would prevent you from having to head back to the Golden Arches because your kid got the wrong toy.

Hopefully this will transition into a regular occurrence throughout the year, but for now, I'll give two thumbs up to McDonald's for making the swap for a limited time.